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PROGRAMME 


Prayer. 


Rev.  Matthew  C.  Julien. 


Introductory  Remarks. 

Hon.  Charles  S.  Ashley. 

Address — The  Public  Library  and  the  Community. 
Frank  P.  Hill,  Litt.  D. 

Address — The  Public  Library-  and  the  Public  School. 
Prof.  William  MacDonald. 

Address — A  Historical  Sketch  of  the  New  Bedford  Library. 
George  H.  Tripp. 

Address — What  the  Public  Library  Means  to  New  Bedford. 
Horace  G.  Wadlin,  Litt.  D. 


Music  by  Sullivan's  Orchestra. 


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Following  the  prayer  by  Rev.  Mr.  Julien,  in  opening  the 
dedication  exercises.  Mayor  Ashley  addressed  the  company. 


MAYOR  CHARLES  S.   ASHLEY 

It  is  my  privilege  to  declare  this  edifice  now  open  to  the 
City  of  New  Bedford. 

From  this  hour  forward,  these  halls  shall  be  a  capable 
depository  for  our  priceless  volumes,  and  a  fitting  place  for 
research  and  instruction.  Here  ends  a  situation  whereby  a 
library  collection  made  up  of  a  wealth  of  material  has  never- 
theless been  limited  in  its  usefulness,  because  of  the  inade- 
quacy of  the  structure  containing  it.  Both  the  building  and 
the  books  are  now  worthy  of  each  other,  and  the  public 
welfare  will  be  distinctly  promoted  by  the  change  that  has 
been  made. 

For  myself,  I  am  conscious  of  a  pardonable  sense  of 
pride  in  the  consummation  of  this  undertaking  I  had  the 
honor  to  recommend.  The  end  sought  to  be  accomplished  has 
been  brought  about  in  a  most  satisfactory  way.  I  view  the 
finished  work  with  gratification;  I  am  sure  public  opinion 
will  give  enthusiastic  approval.  All  that  is  here  is  the  re- 
sult of  a  union  of  labors  well  qualified  to  produce  a  library 
to  meet  all  the  requirements  that  may  be  exacted  of  it; 
that  success  has  crowned  those  efforts  I  make  no  question; 
pleasurable  surprise  is  the  attitude  I  have  noted  in  most 
observers  and  expressions  of  genuine  appreciation  reach  my 
ears  from  every  side. 

A  creditable  public  sentiment  demanded  that  the  archi- 
tectural excellence  of  our  former  City  Hall  should  be  pre- 
served; that  extensions  and  enlargements  should  not  mar 
the  harmony  of  its  dignified  proportions;  and  that  consid- 
erations reflecting  the  refinement  of  art  should  govern  in 
everything  incorporated  in  this  honorable  building.  It  was 
a  marked  instance  of  civic  pride  and  reverence  for  local 
history  and  tradition.     As  a  City  Hall,  long  before  the  time 


of  the  fire,  it  had  failed  to  meet  the  requirements  of  a  muni- 
cipal business  place.  Very  few  departments  had  quarters 
in  it;  the  general  uses  to  which  it  was  put  were  inconsistent 
with  its  splendid  appearance.  Its  general  arrangements, 
appropriate  for  a  town,  were  never,  even  in  a  small  degree, 
suitable  for  a  city's  uses. 

The  old  library  building,  long  outgrown  in  the  quarters 
from  which  it  took  its  name,  has  always  been  devoted  in  a 
great  part  to  city  offices.  Neither  building  filled  its  intended 
mission  and  questions  of  convenience  were  straightway  in 
evidence  when  we  were  confronted  with  the  necessity  of 
treating  this  interior,  ruined  by  fire,  with  its  noble  walls 
standing  and  resisting  destruction. 

That  it  was  possible  to  secure  a  grand  library  became 
apparent, — that  no  mistake  should  be  made  was  imperative. 
Respect  for  sentiment,  judgment  in  preparation  and  fidelity 
in  execution,  then  became  the  essentials  to  be  ever  kept  in 
mind,  and  my  congratulation  goes  forward  to  you  that  there 
has  been  no  departure  from  those  obligations.  That  this 
structure,  within  and  without,  is  a  combination  embracing 
art,  luxury,  and  utility  in  degrees  not  often  attained  is  my 
sincere  belief  and  fixed  conviction. 

I  purposely  refrain  from  addressing  you  upon  the  his- 
tory, function,  and  destiny  of  libraries  in  general,  but  rather 
content  myself  with  such  few  words  as  seem  to  me  to  be 
appropriate  to  this  one  in  particular.  It  is  eminently  proper 
that  these  dedication  exercises  should  direct  your  attention 
to  the  thoughts  to  be  expressed  by  others  well  qualified  to 
speak  from  the  depth  of  their  knowledge  and  experience. 
Of  the  importance  of  the  work  we  now  engage  to  continue, 
it  can  surely  be  said  that  it  is  as  present  and  pressing  as 
when  first  entered  upon  by  our  pioneer  library  of  eminent 
fame  and  fruitful  history.  I  bespeak  for  it  a  growing  and 
increasing  place  in  our  municipal  progress  and  advancement. 

Following  his  own  address,  Mayor  Ashley  introduced 
Dr.  Hill. 


FRANK  P.  HILL 

A  long,  long  time  ago,  at  least  it  seems  so  to  me,  my  good 
friend  and  fellow  classmate,  and  your  efiieient  and  successful 
librarian,  George  H.  Tripp,  exacted  from  me  a  promise  to  be 
present  at  the  opening  of  the  new  building  of  the  New  Bed- 
ford Public  Library.  The  event  seemed  so  far  in  the  future 
that  I  readily  agreed.  But  when  he  wrote  me  a  few  days 
ago  that  the  date  was  set  for  December  1st,  I  was  inclined 
to  make  excuses.  It  then  occurred  to  me  that  if  I  did  "back 
out"  my  good  friend  would  no  longer  be  a  friend,  and  that 
risk  I  could  not  afford  to  take. 

It  has  been  my  privilege  from  time  to  time  to  assist  in 
meetings  called  to  arouse  an  interest  in  the  establishment  of 
a  free  public  library  and  to  participate  in  the  inauguration 
of  public  libraries  in  new  fields.  On  this  occasion,  however, 
it  is  not  necessary  to  attempt  to  arouse  interest  in  the  library 
movement  or  to  impress  upon  you  the  value  of  a  public 
library  to  the  community. 

Your  library  is  already  ripe  with  age,  and  the  people 
of  New  Bedford  have  long  appreciated  its  advantages.  It  is 
not  a  new  enterprise.  The  foundation  was  firmly  laid  many 
years  ago  by  those  who  constituted  the  early  boards  of 
trustees.  Indeed,  I  cannot  congratulate  you  too  highly  upon 
your  good  fortune  in  having  as  sponsors  at  the  very  begin- 
ning such  liberal  and  clear-visioned  men.  The  early  reports 
of  the  library  plainly  indicate  that  not  only  was  New  Bed- 
ford the  first  municipality  to  take  advantage  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts law  providing  for  the  establishment  of  a  free  public 
library,  but  they  record  the  earnest  efforts  of  the  trustees  to 
make  the  library  a  source  of  pleasure  and  profit  to  a  very 
large  portion  of  the  citizens. 

I  congratulate  you,  too,  because  looking  back  over  your 
history  it  is  evident  that  the  public  library  in  New  Bedford 


has  had  a  normal  and  gradual  growth.  There  have  been  no 
radical  changes  in  either  methods  or  management,  the  plan 
upon  which  the  original  work  was  inaugurated  being  prac- 
tically identical  with  the  present  ideal  of  what  a  public  li- 
brary should  be.  The  library  has  grown  in  size,  to  be  sure ! 
It  has  put  out  new  branches,  it  has  brought  forth  many 
blossoms  and  much  fruit ;  but  the  character  of  the  plant  has 
not  changed.  This  library  has  not  been  transformed 
from  a  mercantile  or  subscription  library;  it  always  has  been 
free  to  the  public. 

You  are  therefore  fortunate  in  having  been  able  to 
develop  your  resources  without  being  obliged  to  expend  your 
energies  in  reorganization.  Furthermore  the  community  is 
exceptionally  favored  in  having  had  in  the  58  years  of  its 
library  history  only  two  librarians.  Those  who  are  in  touch 
with  library  work  in  this  country  can  heartily  concur  in  the 
acknowledgment  made  by  the  trustees  of  their  indebted- 
ness to  the  ability  and  devotion  of  your  first  librarian, 
Robert  C.  Ingraham.  The  work  so  well  begun  and  so  ad- 
mirably conducted  by  him  for  half  a  century  has  fallen  into 
the  strong  hands  of  your  present  librarian  and  by  him  been 
carried  forward. 

So  well  have  the  trustees  and  librarians  conducted  the 
affairs  of  the  library  that  today  a  new  and  larger  edifice 
is  dedicated  to  public  library  uses. 

You  may  well  be  proud  of  it  for  you  have  not  depended 
upon  the  generosity  of  any  single  person  but  have  willingly 
taxed  yourselves  to  provide  money  for  its  erection.  It  does 
not  bear  the  name  of  an  individual  but  will  be  known  for 
all  time  as  the  New  Bedford  Free  Public  Library.  Architec- 
turally beautiful  it  will  serve  as  a  landmark  for  years  to 
como. 

But  this  building  is  only  a  storehouse.  The  treasures  in 
it  must  be  accessible  to  all.  In  this  age  we  demand  of  aU 
our  institutions  definite  and  practical  results,  and  the  library 
is  not  an  exception  to  this  general  rule.  Is  the  library 
living  up  to  expectations? 

8 


During  the  month  of  October  last  an  exhibition  was  held 
in  New  York  city  which  was  known  as  the  Budget  Exhibit. 
It  was  planned  by  the  board  of  estimate  and  apportionment 
of  the  city  and  was  prepared  by  the  heads  of  departments 
and  institutions  receiving  money  from  the  city. 

Its  purpose  was  threefold: 

(a) — To  show  how  the  money  provided  by  the  city  is 
spent  and  to  submit  for  examination  the  various  pleas  for 
increased  appropriations. 

(b) — To  afford  the  citizens  of  Greater  New  York  the 
opportunity  of  making  a  comparative  study  of  the  use  of 
appropriations  made  to  the  various  departments. 

(c) — To  enable  the  people  to  form  an  opinion  of  the 
effectiveness  of  departmental  work. 

As  a  participant  in  this  exhibit  the  public  libraries  of 
the  city  were  called  upon  to  show  the  results  of  their  work. 
This  was  done  by  means  of  charts,  maps,  statistics,  and 
photographs  showing  the  increase  and  improvement  in  quar- 
ters, equipment,  resources,  and  use. 

During  the  exhibit  the  library  committee  realized  more 
forcibly  than  ever  the  fact  that  the  work  of  the  library, 
owing  to  its  intangibility,  could  not  be  satisfactorily 
shown  by  charts,  diagrams,  or  by  any  standard  yet  devised. 

Through  the  library's  influence  the  lives  of  the  people 
are  made  richer,  the  conditions  under  which  they  live  im- 
proved, and  their  characters  strengthened.  Such  work  can- 
not be  presented  in  figures. 

The  library  also  serves  the  needs  of  the  work-a-day 
world,  enabling  the  artisan  to  become  more  skillful,  the  me- 
chanic more  proficient,  the  housewife  more  capable,  and  the 
professional  man  broader-minded. 

The  practical  resources  of  our  libraries  are  only  begin- 
ning to  be  appreciated. 

This  was  evidenced  at  the  exhibit.  Here  a  small  collec- 
tion of  books  was  placed  on  shelves  as  an  index  to  the 
larger  collections  which  the  libraries  contained.  The  list 
included  such  books  as : 

Gebhardt's  Steam  Power  Plant  Engineering, 


Hatfield's  Modern  Accounting, 

Lowe's  Electric  Railway  Troubles  and  How  to  Find 
Them. 

Deland's  Imagination  in  Business. 

The  interest  shown  in  the  books  by  the  thousands  of 
business  men — young  and  old — who  dropped  into  the  exhibit, 
as  well  as  the  surprise  many  of  them  expressed  when  they 
learned  that  such  books  could  be  procured  from  a  public 
library  made  the  committee  feel  the  need  of  a  wider  adver- 
tisement of  our  resources.  Most  of  those  men  probably  con- 
sidered a  library  a  desirable  asset  in  any  community.  Many 
of  them  undoubtedly  thought  it  of  some  service  to  those 
who  had  time  to  enjoy  it.  Others  perhaps  looked  forward 
to  a  time  when  they  would  have  the  leisure  to  avail  them- 
selves of  its  treasures ;  but  none  of  them  had  before  thought 
of  it  as  containing  anything  of  practical  use. 

The  Budget  Exhibit  gave  us  the  opportunity  of  show- 
ing such  men  that  the  library  is  in  a  real  sense  "the  people's 
university,"  and  that  hundreds  had  bettered  their  condition 
in  life  and  fitted  themselves  for  higher  responsibilities  by 
using  the  books  furnished  freely  by  the  library. 

As  an  evidence  of  how  the  library  had  helped  people  a 
circular  entitled  "Results  not  shown  by  statistics"  was  pre- 
pared and  distributed.  This  contained  expressions  of  appre- 
ciation made  by  borrowers  who  had  obtained  assistance 
from  books  in  the  libraries. 

One  example  will  serve  as  an  illustration:  "It  is  the 
greatest  place  on  earth  for  a  poor  man  to  get  a  good  educa- 
tion." The  man  who  said  this  had  been  obliged  to  leave 
school  early  in  order  to  support  his  family,  but  he  always 
wanted  to  be  a  first  class  engineer.  He  studied  at  Cooper 
Institute,  but  did  not  gain  the  knowledge  he  desired.  One 
day  at  one  of  our  branches  he  found  some  easy  books  on  the 
subject  of  engineering.  After  one  year's  study  he  returned 
to  Cooper  Institute  and  passed  the  examinations  in  which  he 
had  failed  the  year  before.  He  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that 
"a  lot  of  fellows  failed  because  they  didn't  know  all  the 

10 


good  they  could  get  from  the  library."    Such  work  is  worth 
while. 

To  be  able  to  help  those  who  earnestly  desire  to  educate 
themselves  and  have  not  the  means  to  buy  books  is  no  un- 
worthy problem,  and  this  is  the  work  our  public  libraries 
are  trying  to  solve. 

No  one  now  need  to  voice  the  sentiment  contained  in 
Lang's  ''Ballad  of  the  Unattainable:" 

"Prince,  hear  a  hopeless  bard's  appeal; 
Reverse  the  rule  of  mine  and  thine ; 
Make  it  legitimate  to  steal 

The  books  that  never  can  be  mine." 

The  generous  bequests  which  from  time  to  time  the  New 
Bedford  library  has  received  have  placed  it  in  a  somewhat 
unusual  position.  Here  the  interest  received  from  endow- 
ment funds  is  large  enough  to  purchase  such  new  books  and 
replacements  as  are  added  to  the  library  each  year. 
Whether  this  income  is  large  enough  for  the  purchase  of  all 
the  books  which  could  be  used  to  advantage  in  New  Bedford 
is  for  your  trustees  and  librarian  to  decide.  But  from  my 
experience  I  would  say  that  while  the  book  fund  is  always 
the  one  which  can  be  increased  with  the  greatest  benefit  to 
those  who  use  the  library,  it  is  almost  always  the  first  item 
to  be  cut  if  a  reduction  is  to  be  made  in  the  appropriation. 

There  are  some  libraries  that  have  an  adequate  fund 
for  the  purchase  of  books  and  little  enough  for  maintenance 
and  salaries,  and  there  are  libraries  moving  from  old  to  new 
quarters  that  are  skimped  in  appropriation  and  have  not 
enough  money  to  pay  actual  expenses.  I  trust  that  New 
Bedford  is  not  in  either  class. 

The  question  of  support  is  always  a  vital  one  to  every 
institution,  public  or  private,  and  the  appropriation  of  money 
sufficient  for  the  actual  needs  of  any  branch  of  the  city's 
work  depends  too  frequently  upon  other  things  than  the 
real  merits  of  the  case.  The  time  should  come  in  the  admin- 
istration of  our  municipal  affairs  when  the  board  charged 
with  appropriating  money  for  conducting  city  business  will 
consider  each  department  in  the  city  government  as  a  defi- 

11 


nite  part  of  a  whole,  and  will  apportion  appropriations 
according  to  the  importance  of  each  department,  and  for  its 
proper  development. 

In  spite  of  the  long  and  meritorious  past  of  your  library, 
I  think  I  may  venture  the  opinion  that  not  even  in  this  com- 
munity, which  so  early  realized  the  importance  and  possi- 
bilities of  a  free  public  library,  is  the  function  of  the  library 
in  its  relation  to  other  branches  of  the  city's  activities  fully 
understood,  nor  is  the  appropriation  granted  the  library  each 
year  made  according  to  the  importance  of  the  work.  In 
New  York  I  am  sure  this  is  not  the  case.  As  compared  with 
the  incomes  of  other  libraries,  the  financial  support  in 
Greater  New  York  may  be  said  to  be  generous,  but  when  the 
library  appropriation  of  any  city  is  compared  with  that 
made  other  departments  or  institutions  supported  by  city 
money  it  will  be  found  that  the  library  suffers  by  com- 
parison. 

Some  of  us  may  remember  the  agitation  caused  by  the 
introduction  of  "free"  schools  supported  by  taxation. 
Many  conscientious  men  questioned  any  responsibility  for 
the  education  and  training  of  their  neighbor's  child;  and 
those  who  had  no  children  felt  it  unjust  that  they  should 
be  obliged  to  share  the  cost  of  the  instruction  of  the  children 
in  the  community.  But  when  the  idea  was  finally  adopted 
it  received  such  hearty  support  that  the  development  of  the 
public  school  system  throughout  the  country  was  rapid  and 
progressive.  The  idea  of  the  "public"  maintenance  of  li- 
braries was  introduced  later  and  met  with  the  same  opposi- 
tion in  many  communities  that  had  manifested  itself  in  the 
effort  to  secure  money  for  schools. 

In  the  case  of  the  schools  the  opposition  has  almost 
entirely  disappeared,  and  liberal  appropriations  pass  annu- 
ally without  objection,  but  there  is  still  some  objection  to 
library  appropriations.  There  should  be  no  difference  of 
feeling,  as  both  are  educational  in  character,  the  library  con- 
tinuing the  work  of  the  schools  with  those  who  have  com- 
pleted its  course,  and  aft'ording  opportunity  for  study  to 
those  who  have  been  obliged  to  leave  school  at  an  early  age. 

12 


In  the  support  of  our  schools  each  taxpayer  must  share 
the  expense  whether  or  no  he  can  benefit  directly  from  the 
school  system.  In  the  support  of  the  library  each  person 
contributing  can  receive  a  direct  return.  Although  the 
amount  contributed  by  each  individual  may  be  insignificant, 
in  the  aggregate  it  makes  possible  the  purchase,  care,  and 
preservation  of  a  collection  of  books  larger  than  any  one 
would  find  it  practicable  or  possible  to  accumulate  for  his 
own  use. 

What  does  each  person's  share  of  the  expense  of  the 
library  amount  to?  In  New  York  the  cost  of  maintaining 
the  public  libraries  in  the  greater  city  is  slightly  under  25 
cents  per  capita,  in  New  Bedford  it  is  15.7  per  capita.  For 
this  small  expenditure  in  New  Bedford  there  is  placed  at 
your  disposal  the  entire  resources  of  the  library,  including 
books,  pictures,  and  the  services  of  the  librarian  and  his 
assistants. 

You  will  readily  see  that  this  small  amount  would  not 
go  far  in  providing  the  books,  magazines,  or  even  news- 
papers which  you  personally  read  during  the  year. 

I  do  not  know  the  facts  in  New  Bedford  but  I  do  know 
that  in  New  York  we  appropriate  24  times  as  much  for  our 
schools  as  we  do  for  our  libraries,  12  times  as  much  for  our 
police  protection,  7  times  as  much  for  protection  against 
fire,  and  more  than  twice  as  much  for  public  charities. 

I  do  not  wish  to  suggest  that  any  department  of  the 
city  should  receive  less  than  at  present,  but  I  do  earnestly 
urge  that  in  this  and  every  community  the  public  library 
should  receive  such  financial  support  from  the  city  govern- 
ment as  will  enable  it  to  become  an  efficient  part  of  the  edu- 
cational system  of  the  municipality ;  that  the  services  of 
librarians  and  assistants  should  be  adequately  compensated ; 
that  the  book  collections  inherited  from  the  past  should  be 
preserved,  enriched,  and  enlarged  for  future  generations  as 
well  as  for  present  use ;  that  the  library  being  well  housed 
should  be  adequately  maintained,  and  that  the  building  itself 
should  be  kept  in  good  repair. 

13 


If  the  city  government  and  the  people  of  New  Bedford, 
having  erected  this  beautiful  and  spacious  building,  will  con- 
tinue to  provide  adequately  for  its  maintenance,  this  library 
will  always  stand  in  the  front  rank  of  library  achievement, 
and  those  whose  duty  it  is  to  administer  it  for  your  benefit 
will  be  encouraged  to  increase  its  effectiveness  and  extend 
its  usefulness. 


14 


PROFESSOR    WILLIAM    MacDONALD 

Of  all  the  many  changes  which  have  come  about  in  the 
theory  and  practice  of  library  administration  in  this  country^ 
none  is  of  more  far-reaching  significance,  or  likely,  appar- 
ently, to  undergo  more  helpful  development,  than  that  by 
which  the  public  library  has  come  to  be  regarded  as  one  of 
the  educational  agencies  of  the  community.  Thanks  to  the 
growth  of  popular  education,  the  demand  for  intelligence 
as  well  as  skill  in  trades  and  business,  and  the  zeal  and  self- 
sacrifice  of  public-spirited  librarians,  the  library  has  ceased 
to  be  looked  upon  as  a  storehouse  for  books  accumulated 
but  not  read,  or  a  place  to  pass  an  idle  hour  in  desultory 
reading,  or  a  haven  of  refuge  for  benevolent  old  people  with 
superabundant  leisure.  On  the  contrary,  it  has  become,  to  a 
remarkable  degree,  one  of  the  great  educational  forces  of  the 
modern  world,  employing  a  staff  of  trained  experts,  minis- 
tering to  the  needs  of  all  classes  and  all  occupations,  and 
co-operating  closely  and  heartily  with  every  agency,  public 
or  private,  which  has  for  its  object  the  better  education  of 
the  whole  people.  I  cannot  better  use  the  time  which  has 
been  allotted  to  me  in  the  programme  of  this  your  day  of 
rejoicing,  than  by  calling  briefly  to  your  mind  the  indis- 
pensable relation  between  the  public  library  and  the  public 
school. 

We  are  undertaking  in  this  country  the  tremendous  ex- 
periment of  educating,  at  public  expense,  the  entire  popu- 
lation. From  the  kindergarten  to  the  university,  in  the  ma- 
jority of  our  states,  and  through  the  high  school  or  technical 
school  in  all  of  them,  we  offer  graded  courses  of  instruction 
either  entirely  free  of  cost  to  the  individual  student,  or  at 
merely  nominal  expense.  Year  by  year  we  build  more  and 
better  schoolhouses,  yet  even  so  can  hardly  keep  pace  with 
the  numbers  who  seek  admission  to  them.     We  are  forever 

15 


overhauling  our  courses  of  study  to  make  them  more  prac- 
tical and  sensible,  more  genuinely  educational  and  useful. 
Tn  the  range  of  its  studies,  the  skilled  preparation  of  its 
teachers,  the  beauty,  convenience  and  healthfulness  of  its 
building,  the  efficiency  of  its  teaching,  and  the  substantial 
results  in  the  lives  of  its  pupils,  the  American  public  school 
of  today  is  infinitely  superior  to  the  school  of  a  generation 
ago ;  and  the  end  of  its  improvement  is  not  yet. 

What  has  really  happened,  of  course,  is  that  our  concep- 
tion of  the  nature  of  the  school  has  changed.  Instead  of  the 
perfunctory  learning  of  lessons  out  of  a  book,  stimulated  by 
liberal  use  of  the  rod  and  the  dunce  cap,  we  have  found  a 
better  way.  Public  school  pupils  today  are  encouraged  to 
read  books,  magazines  and  newspapers,  to  collect  plants  and 
minerals,  to  study  pictures  and  take  photographs,  to  draw 
maps  and  construct  diagrams  and  charts.  The  drill  in 
grammar  is  constantly  supplemented  by  the  use  of  litera- 
ture; mathematical  principles  are  early  given  some  practical 
application;  the  chemical  laboratory  directs  attention  to 
problems  of  good  food  and  proper  sanitation ;  modern  history 
and  current  events  take  their  place  in  the  curriculum  along 
with  the  history  of  Greece,  or  Rome,  or  early  England.  There 
are  excursions  to  historic  sites,  or  public  buildings,  or  the 
homes  of  famous  men;  dramatic  representations  of  plays 
studied  in  the  classrooms ;  concerts  and  memorial  exercises ; 
and  moot  courts,  parliaments,  and  city  councils  to  illustrate 
the  course  in  civil  government.  All  of  our  best  schools 
todaj^  are  doing  these  things,  and  doing  them  increasingly; 
and  it  is  through  the  doing  of  them  that  our  schools  are 
being  vitalized,  and  transformed,  not  into  gloomy  prisons 
where  tasks  are  set,  but  into  social  centres  where  children 
spend  their  happiest  hours.  And  we  are  doing  this,  remem- 
ber, for  everybody  at  public  expense,  because  popular  edu- 
cation means  for  us  not  only  social  well  being,  but  social 
safety   as   well. 

It  is  at  this  point  that  the  public  library  comes  to  the 
aid  of  the  school.  While  the  school  must  always  concern 
itself  chiefly  with  systematic  instruction  along  certain  es- 

16 


sential  lines,  the  library  can  supplement  and  enrich  that  in- 
struction and  show  its  wider  application  and  relationship. 
Its  collection  of  books,  for  example,  will  always  be  many 
times  greater  than  that  of  any  high  or  grammar  school. 
We  are,  to  be  sure,  slowly  coming  to  realize  the  need  of 
better  school  libraries,  provided  with  at  least  the  best  and 
newest  cyclopedias,  dictionaries,  reference  manuals  and 
standard  works  of  history,  biography,  and  literature ;  but  the 
public  library,  serving  as  it  does  the  needs  of  the  whole 
community,  will  always  have  the  greater  number  and  wider 
range  of  books.  By  loans  to  the  schools,  however,  by  pur- 
chase of  duplicate  copies  of  books  much  in  demand,  by  the 
reservation  of  books  specially  wanted  by  particular  classes, 
as  well  as  by  systematic  purchases  in  fields  where  the  demand 
is  greatest,  it  has  in  its  power  to  supplement  and  strengthen 
the  work  of  every  teacher,  and  enhance  the  interest  and 
value  of  every  study. 

In  its  provision  of  certain  classes  of  books,  too,  the 
library  can  help  the  school  greatly.  Such  things  as  atlases, 
indispensable  for  the  study  of  geography ;  illustrated  works 
in  science,  or  the  choice  illustrated  editions  of  standard 
authors ;  books  of  travel  and  adventure,  and  accounts  of  the 
most  recent  scientific  discoveries  or  political  occurrences, 
must  as  a  rule  be  looked  for  in  the  public  library.  The 
same  is  true  of  maps  and  charts,  pictures,  and  statistical 
works  of  all  sorts.  A  modern  high  school  uses  all  of  this 
sort  of  material,  when  it  can  get  it,  to  supplement  its  class- 
room work;  but  it  looks  to  the  library  to  provide  it.  The 
skillful  librarian,  keeping  in  touch  with  the  work  of  the 
schools,  will  anticipate  their  needs  by  timely  purchases ;  put 
out  on  the  shelves,  in  plain  sight,  well  chosen  lists  of  books 
relating  to  topics  which  a  class  is  studying;  display  illustra- 
tive maps  and  pictures;  and  stand  ready  to  help  the  pupil 
whose  interest  has  been  aroused,  and  who  needs  guidance 
in  reading  further. 

Every  public  library,  further,  ought  to  have  its  collec- 
tion of  books  specially  intended  for  teachers,  and  relating 
to  the  theory  and  practice  of  their  profession.    We  demand 

17 


greater  aud  greater  efficiency  in  our  teachers,  but  we  do  not 
always  remember  that  one  of  the  strongest  aids  to  efficiency 
is  the  reading  of  the  books  in  M'hich  experts  of  wide  expe- 
rience tell  how  the  work  of  teaching  may  best  be  done. 
Few  teachers,  with  the  miserable  pittances  which  we  call 
salaries,  can  afford  to  buy  many  books;  and  we  owe  it  to 
them  to  provide  the  books  through  the  agency  of  the  public 
library.  I  hope  that  you  possess  in  this  library  a  good  col- 
lection of  the  best  recent  books  on  such  subjects  as  school 
management  and  organization,  school  sanitation  and 
hygiene,  the  conduct  of  classes,  and  the  many  other  things 
which  a  good  teacher  ought  to  know.  I  hope  that  you  are 
also  keeping  on  file  the  best  educational  journals  and  school 
reports,  not  only  of  this  state  and  of  the  United  States,  but 
also  of  foreign  countries ;  for,  do  as  well  as  we  may,  we  can 
always  learn  something  of  value  from  our  neighbors. 

What  I  have  said  of  books  holds  true  also  of  magazines 
and  newspapers.  No  school  can  be  expected  to  provide 
itself  with  much  of  this  sort  of  literature,  or  to  afford  the 
space  and  assistance  needed  to  keep  it  in  order;  but  the 
public  library  ought  to  have  a  good  deal  of  it,  and  the  pupils 
of  all  ages  ought  to  learn  how  to  use  it.  Some  of  the 
best  work  in  history  and  biography,  the  best  narratives  of 
travel  or  exploration,  the  best  accounts  of  scientific  achieve- 
ments, and  the  best  discussions  of  social  problems,  appear 
today  in  the  pages  of  magazines  and  newspapers ;  and  if  the 
school  is  to  keep  its  knowledge  up  to  date,  and  prevent  the 
moss  from  growing  on  the  back  of  our  educational  system, 
it  must  keep  in  touch  with  the  best  that  is  being  thought 
and  said  in  the  world.  Especially  ought  every  boy  and  girl 
of  high  school  age  to  be  taught  how  to  read  the  newspaper ; 
to  read  it  with  discrimination  and  common  sense,  to  pick  out 
from  its  columns  that  which  is  really  worth  while,  and  to 
follow  carefully  its  daily  record  of  events.  Only  through 
the  public  library,  however,  is  this  likely  to  be  done,  for 
only  there  can  one  find  papers  and  magazines  in  variety, 
representing  different  sections  of  the  country  and  different 
points  of  view. 

18 


I  spoke  a  moment  ago  of  pictures  and  illustrated  books. 
Of  all  the  services  which  it  is  in  the  power  of  the  library  to 
render,  few  surpass  in  interest  that  which  attends  the  reg- 
ular and  systematic  exhibition  of  pictures  and  illustrated 
material.  With  the  numerous  inexpensive  photographs  and 
other  reproductions  now  available,  it  is  possible  for  a  library 
with  but  very  moderate  funds  to  put  out,  in  the  course  of 
the  year,  a  series  of  exhibitions  covering  a  wide  range. 
Castles,  cathedrals,  harbors,  cities,  roads,  gardens,  farms, 
mines,  ships,  animals,  routes  of  explorers,  battle  scenes  or 
plans  of  campaigns,  famous  persons,  statuary,  paintings,  in- 
terior furnishing  and  decoration — these  and  a  hundred  other 
interests  of  the  great  world  can  be  displayed  in  graphic 
form,  at  small  cost,  to  the  instruction  and  delight  of 
old  and  young.  Nothing  more  surely  draws  children 
to  the  library  than  a  picture  show,  a  popular  lecture 
with  lantern  slides,  or  a  collection  of  prints  or  objects  illus- 
trating some  current  incident  of  which  every  one  is  talking. 
Let  us  not  forget  that  there  is  an  education  of  the  eye,  the 
judgment,  and  the  taste,  as  well  as  the  education  of  the 
printed  page.  The  mind  has  many  doors,  some  of  which 
may  be  open  while  others  are  shut ;  but  the  library  and  the 
school  together  hold  the  keys  to  all  of  them. 

I  have  been  speaking  thus  far  mainly  of  adults,  and  of 
those  pupils  to  whom  reading  is,  or  ought  to  be,  a  matter  of 
no  difficulty.  But  I  must  not  forget  two  other  classes,  to 
whose  happiness  and  welfare  the  combined  work  of  school 
and  library  stand  very  close.  And  first,  always,  the  young 
children.  In  the  great  public  library  of  the  city  of  Provi- 
dence, nothing  interests  me  so  much  as  the  children's  room. 
There  come  by  scores  and  hundreds  the  little  boys  and  girls, 
most  of  them  from  homes  where  books  are  few.  They  are 
able  to  read  simple  words  and  sentences,  or  to  understand 
and  enjoy  simple  narratives  and  stories,  but  they  are  often 
not  yet  old  enough  to  know  particularly  what  they  want, 
or  wisely  to  choose  one  book  rather  than  another.  On  the 
open  shelves  around  the  room  is  the  children's  library;  the 
children  may  themselves  take  down  the  books  and  look  them 

19 


over,  if  so  be  they  are  old  enough  to  make  a  choice,  or  they 
may  go  to  the  kindly,  experienced  woman  at  the  desk,  and 
let  her  choose  for  them.  There  are  little  collections  of 
prints  on  the  walls,  and  more  in  an  adjoining  room ;  here  in 
front  of  you,  on  a  bulletin  board,  is  perhaps  a  list  of  birds, 
with  the  dates  and  places  of  first  discovery;  and  yonder 
some  early  wild  flowers.  Surely  one  cannot  but  bless  an 
institution  which  thus,  with  thoughtful  care,  shows  young 
children  how  to  find  happiness  in  books,  or  sends  to  in- 
numerable humble  homes  one  strong  beam  of  light.  Never 
mind  if  the  childish  fingers  are  not  too  clean,  or  if  books 
and  covers  soon  soil  and  wear  out;  it  is  a  good  investment 
that  any  community  is  making  when  it  shows  its  children 
how  and  what  to  read,  and  makes  them  welcome  in  the 
place  where  books  are  kept. 

And  when  I  say  the  children,  I  include  the  children  of 
the  alien  as  well  as  of  the  nation.  Whether  we  like  it  or 
not — and  it  makes  absolutely  no  difference  whether  we  like 
it  or  not — it  seems  to  be  our  destiny,  here  in  New  England, 
to  attract  to  our  manufacturing  centres  peoples  of  foreign 
birth  and  alien  speech;  and  they  are  here  to  stay.  Ameri- 
cans they  are  certainly  becoming,  day  by  day,  and  it  is  for 
us  to  say  of  what  sort  their  Americanism  is  to  be.  I  greatly 
wish  that  we  might  go  much  further  than  we  have  common- 
ly gone  in  meeting  these  non-English  neighbors  on  their  own 
ground,  so  far  as  education  through  books  is  concerned.  I 
was  for  a  year  and  a  half,  some  time  since,  the  chairman  of 
the  school  committee  in  a  New  England  mill  town  of  6,000 
people,  one-half  of  whose  population  was  French-Canadian. 
Very  few  of  the  older  people  spoke  English,  or  at  best  could 
use  a  few  phrases  with  great  difficulty;  and  almost  all  the 
children  spoke  French.  Yet  the  town  could  not  be  induced 
to  provide  French-speaking  teachers  for  the  entering  classes 
in  the  lower  grades,  and  the  trustees  of  the  town  library 
absolutely  refused  to  purchase  so  much  as  one  book  in 
French.  The  result,  of  course,  was  that  half  of  the  popula- 
tion of  that  town,  too  poor  to  buy  books  for  itself,  had  no 
books  to  read,  just  because  it  didn't  happen  to  know  Eng- 

20 


lish.  There  were  some  comfortable  homes  among  those 
operatives,  but  there  were  no  books  in  them. 

I  have  always  thought  that  this  was  a  grave  mistake. 
No  human  power,  we  may  be  sure,  is  strong  enough  to  main- 
tain for  long  the  use  of  any  but  the  English  tongue  in 
America:  the  practical  conditions  of  our  daily  lives  compel 
to  uniformity  of  speech.  But  we  do  need  very  much  to  form 
the  reading  habit  as  soon  and  as  firmly  as  possible,  as  an 
indispensable  means  to  that  universal  popular  education 
which  is  also  indispensable.  I  hope,  therefore,  that  in  the 
scheme  of  your  library  you  have  made  provision  for  books 
in  every  language  spoken  in  this  city  by  any  appreciable 
number  of  persons;  so  that  no  man,  woman,  or  child,  who 
can  read  at  all  shall  have  to  turn  away  from  the  doors 
which  are  thrown  open  today,  because  in  this  free  public 
library  there  is  no  book  in  the  only  language  which  God  has 
permitted  him  to  speak.  We  have  tried  for  years  in  Provi- 
dence the  experiment  of  providing  in  our  public  library  good 
books  in  foreign  languages,  and  with  results  which  abun- 
dantly justify  it. 

It  is  in  such  ways  as  these  that  the  public  library,  co- 
operating with  the  public  school,  contributes  to  the  educa- 
tion of  the  community.  They  are  joint  educational  agencies, 
working  together  for  a  common  end, — the  enrichment  of 
social  life  and  the  increase  of  social  efficiency.  They  do  not 
duplicate  one  another,  either  in  the  methods  which  they 
pursue  or  in  the  work  in  which  they  engage :  they  supple- 
ment one  another.  Their  tasks  bring  them  into  association, 
not  into  competition.  In  the  expenditure  of  its  funds,  ac- 
cordingly, the  library  will  keep  prominently  in  mind  the 
needs  of  teachers  and  pupils  in  all  the  various  grades,  equal- 
izing its  facilities,  as  far  as  possible,  so  that  all  may  be 
helped:  while  the  schools,  on  their  part,  will  send  their 
pupils  and  their  teachers  to  the  library,  draw  systematically 
upon  its  collections  for  classroom  illustrations  and  for  the 
further  development  of  good  teaching,  and  cultivate  the 
reading  habit  in  the  home.  These  are  public  tasks.  Less 
and  less,  in  this  country,  are  we  leaving  education  and  social 

21 


betterment  to  private  individuals  or  private  institutions; 
more  and  more  is  the  city  as  a  whole  rousing  itself  to  care 
for  its  own  people,  under  its  own  direction  and  at  its  own 
expense ;  and  it  is  a  happy  day  for  any  community  where  a 
public  library  opens  its  doors,  and  goes  forth  to  join  in  this 
great  civic  work. 

In  emphasizing  as  I  have  the  relation  of  the  public 
library  to  the  public  school,  I  have  had  no  thought,  of 
course,  of  neglecting  or  minimizing  the  work  of  the  library 
in  other  directions.  The  development  of  the  reading  habit, 
that  one  sure  basis  of  all  culture,  in  adults  as  well  as  in 
children ;  the  ample  provision  of  magazines  and  newspapers, 
through  which  the  thought  and  ambition,  as  well  as  the 
achievement  of  the  present  time  are  expressed;  the  building 
up  of  special  collections  of  books,  especially,  in  such  a  city 
as  this,  of  books  on  technical,  industrial,  artistic,  and  busi- 
ness subjects;  the  establishment  of  branch  libraries,  however 
small,  wherever  the  circulation  or  use  of  books  will  be  facili- 
tated thereby;  the  exhibition  of  manuscripts,  autographs, 
rare  books,  or  historical  objects,  illustrating  the  growth  of 
the  printing  art  or  the  history  of  our  own  or  foreign  peoples ; 
the  recognition  of  holidays,  festivals,  anniversaries,  or 
notable  dates  by  appropriate  exercises  or  exhibits :  all  these 
things,  too,  are  worthy  and  necessary  parts  of  the  great  field 
of  social  service  which  American  public  libraries  have  begun 
to  enter,  and  in  which  they  seem  destined  to  achieve  con- 
spicuous and  permanent  success.  There  is  no  department 
of  our  common  life  which  the  library  of  any  community  may 
not  touch  with  vitalizing  power,  making  life  more  interest- 
ing, labor  more  productive,  homes  more  attractive,  pleasure 
more  happy  and  enduring. 

I  bring  you  congratulations  of  Brown  University  upon 
the  new  and  enlarged  facilities  which  this  free  public  library 
is  henceforth  to  enjoy.  Having  ourselves  just  entered  upon 
the  use  of  a  new  building,  the  need  of  which  has  long  been 
imperative,  we  are  able  to  appreciate  keenly  the  pleasure 
which  the  occupancy  of  this  attractive  and  commodious 
structure  brings  to  you.     I  congratulate  the  librarian  upon 

22 


his  task  and  his  opportunity.  And  if,  25  or  50  years  from 
now,  another  audience  gathers  to  dedicate  a  still  larger  and 
more  commodious  building,  it  will  be  because  the  library 
whose  new  home  is  opened  today  has  made  its  influence 
potent  in  the  higher  life  of  this  whole  city  and  brought 
guidance,  inspiration,  and  happiness  to  all  who  dwell  among 
you. 


23 


GEORGE  H.   TRIPP 

In  an  address  by  Professor  Bliss  Perry,  at  the  dedication 
of  the  Brookline  Library  last  month,  he  emphasized  the  fact 
that  there  is  in  American  life  a  strong  undercurrent  of 
idealism  under  the  most  striking  examples  of  material  ag- 
grandizement. No  better  illustration  of  this  could  be  fur- 
nished than  in  the  history  of  this  library.  It  is,  indeed,  of 
great  significance  that  at  the  time  when  New  Bedford  was 
at  the  height  of  its  fame  as  the  greatest  whaling  city  of  the 
world ;  when  all  the  streets  were  literally  running  with  oil ; 
when  its  material  prosperity  was  great;  certain  public  spir- 
ited citizens  should  have  bestirred  themselves  to  give  New 
Bedford  an  opportunity  to  furnish  a  means  for  a  more  liberal 
culture  in  the  arts  of  refinement. 

When  the  Massachusetts  legislature  in  May,  1851,  passed 
the  act  enabling  municipal  libraries  to  be  formed,  two  or 
three  of  the  citizens  of  New  Bedford,  notably  James  B. 
Congdon  and  Warren  Ladd,  at  once  moved  to  arouse  a 
public  sentiment  enabling  New  Bedford  to  take  advan- 
tage of  this  act.  Warren  Ladd  at  the  July,  1851, 
meeting  of  the  city  council  introduced  a  preliminary 
order,  and  the  ordinance  establishing  the  library  was 
passed  on  the  16th  of  August,  1852.  The  city  seal  just 
adopted  had  declared  that  the  aim  of  the  city  was  to  shed 
light  and  knowledge ;  the  literal  was  to  be  made  figura- 
tive, and  the  lamp  of  wisdom  and  learning  was  to  be  lighted 
and  tended  for  the  benefit  of  all  the  citizens. 

There  had  been  several  private  libraries  of  some  impor- 
tance which  ante-dated  the  establishment  of  this  library. 
The  old  Encyclopaedia  Society,  so-called  from  the  purchase 
of  Dobson's  Encyclopaedia  as  the  base  of  its  collection,  was 
one  of  the  earliest  of  these  private  libraries.  The  most 
notable,  however,  was  the  Social  Library,  which  was  estab- 

24 


w 


'•i 


4 


lished  early  in  the  19th  century,  and  which  continued  for 
many  years  to  serve  its  purpose  as  a  respectable  collection 
of  books  for  the  edification  of  its  proprietors.  In  time  the 
collection  amounted  to  about  5,000  books.  The  whole  of  the 
Social  Library  amounting  to  5,500  books  was  transferred  to 
the  Free  Public  Library,  which  opened  its  doors  on  March 
3, 1853,  with  a  store  of  6,000  volumes  in  the  Perkins  building, 
139  Union  street  near  Purchase. 

In  the  first  report,  issued  after  the  library  had  been 
opened  for  only  a  few  weeks,  the  trustees  expressed  the  hope 
that  this  "will  open  to  our  inhabitants  a  library  rich  in  the 
means  of  intellectual  culture,  and  forming  a  new  and  at- 
tractive feature  in  the  public  recreation  of  the  people."  It 
will  be  noted  that  thus  early  in  its  career  the  idea  was  formu- 
lated that  it  is  a  legitimate  object  of  public  libraries  to 
furnish  recreative  reading,  a  subject  which  has  been  dis* 
cussed  with  vigor  ever  since,  but  our  trustees,  before  the 
library  had  been  opened  two  months,  expressed  themselves 
without  qualifications. 

One  of  the  first  purchases  made  by  the  library  was  the 
Boydell  Shakespeare. 

Another  quotation  from  the  first  report  reads  "A 
striking  and  delightful  feature  in  our  operations  is  the  large 
number  of  females  who  visit  the  rooms,  both  as  takers  of 
books  and  readers  of  our  periodicals.  Nearly  one-half  of 
the  names  upon  our  books  are  those  of  females."  Again 
the  same  report  mentions  as  among  the  regulations  of  the 
library  the  establishment  of  a  waiting  list,  another  question 
which  has  been  the  shuttle-cock  of  opinion  in  library  circles 
for  many  years.  Article  16  says  "Any  book  may  be  re- 
taken, provided  no  application  has  been  made  for  the  same 
by  another  person,  and  the  librarian  requested  to  make  a 
record  of  application." 

During  the  first  year  22,607  books  were  circulated. 

In  the  second  report,  a  motto  was  announced  as  a 
proper  guidance  in  the  use  of  the  library,  and  which  was 
repeated  through  successive  reports  for  many  years:     "Use 

25 


carefully,  return  promptly.  These  are  the  two  fundamental 
rules  upon  which  the  prosperity  of  the  library  must  rest." 
In  the  third  year,  covering  the  year  1854,  the  prudent 
and  careful  custodians  of  the  library  began  to  feel  the 
necessity  of  a  larger  building,  and  incidentally  the  search 
for  a  Carnegie,  who  should  bestow  upon  the  city  a  new 
building  and  receive  the  plaudits  of  the  citizens.  They  say, 
"Are  we  mistaken  in  supposing  that  there  are  those  among 
us,  who,  desirous  of  devoting  a  portion  of  the  wealth  which 
Providence  has  bestowed  upon  them,  to  the  public  good,  and 
prompted  by  a  laudable  ambition  to  give  such  a  direction 
to  their  munificence  as  will  secure  to  them  the  gratitude  of 
their  fellow-citizens  and  the  regard  of  posterity,  will  erect 
a  monument  so  noble  in  its  purpose,  so  elevating  in  its 
results?  No  doubtful  or  limited  benefit  would  attend  upon 
the  consummation  of  such  an  undertaking.  AVithout  restric- 
tion or  qualification  will  be  accorded  to  him  the  title  of  pub- 
lic benefactor,  who  shall  thus  generously  and  benevolently 
allow  his  name  to  designate  the  structure  which  shall  be 
reared  for  the  purpose  of  our  free  public  library."  But  as 
if  feeling  that  perhaps  they  were  asking  too  much,  their 
attention  was  drawn  to  the  City  Hall,  and  the  suggestion  is 
made  that  the  "accommodation  of  the  library  in  the  lower 
story  of  that  safe,  central,  and  beautiful  building"  would 
be  an  ideal  location  for  the  library.  This  city  hall  which 
was  looked  at  with  such  envious  eyes  nearly  sixty  years  ago 
is  the  building  which  has  now  been  devoted  entirely  to 
library  purposes.  At  that  time  the  basement  of  the  hall  was 
used  for  a  market,  and  the  trustees  waxed  eloquent  in  advis- 
ing that  books  supplant  beef  and  that  poultry  be  displaced 
by  poetry.  But  better  times  were  in  store  for  the  library: 
it  was  not  necessary  to  dispossess  the  dealers  in  beef  and 
cabbages  of  their  chosen  quarters,  for  the  city  fathers, 
stirred  by  the  eloquence  of  James  B.  Congdon  and  his  asso- 
ciates, aroused  themselves  and  secured  the  erection  of  a 
library  building,  which  they  thought  would  be  ample  for 
very  many  years  to  house  the  library  on  the  top  floor,  and  to 
accommodate  the  public  offices  on  the  floors  below. 

26 


The  corner  stone  of  the  Library  building  was  laid  with 
imposing  ceremony  on  the  28th  of  August,  1856,  the  archi- 
tect was  Solomon  K.  Eaton,  and  Henry  Pierce  was  the 
builder.  When  the  corner  stone  was  laid  a  procession  was 
formed  on  Market  Square,  south  of  this  building,  headed 
by  the  assistant  marshal  and  a  brass  band;  next  came  the 
marshal,  the  ex-mayors  of  the  city,  clergy,  and  the  city 
officials,  who  moved  in  procession  around  the  block  and  to 
the  site  of  the  library  across  the  street.  George  Howland, 
Jr.,  was  mayor  of  the  city  at  the  time,  and  presided  at  the 
exercises.  A  characteristic  address  was  made  by  James  B. 
Congdon,  Esq.,  who  might  be  called  the  Father  of  the 
Library,  and  a  poem  by  Charles  T.  Congdon,  who  after- 
wards acquired  some  note  as  a  newspaper  man.  I  quote  a 
few  lines  from  this  poem  of  Mr.  Congdon 's  which  will  be 
sufficient  to  give  an  idea  of  the  metre  and  the  general  char- 
acter of  the  verse. 


"How  few  of  all  who  now  its  portals  seek, 
Went  to  the  library  but  once  a  week! 

You  every  day  receive  its  liberal  boon; 

We  went  at  three,  on  seventh  day  afternoon; 
Unchecked  you  banquet  on  the  general  fare; 
We  took  a  single  volume  on  each  share; 

Kept  it  a  week;  might  keep  it  three  weeks  more; 

Were  fined  just  nine-pence  if  we  kept  it  o'er." 

The  poem  ended  with  these  lines : 

"There  was  a  time  when  if  one  simply  said:  — 
'Lend  me  this  book?'  the  owner  shook  his  head. 
And  smelling  thieves  in  that  preposterous  call. 
Padlocked  the  book,  and  chained  it  to  the  wall; 
You,  in  the  spirit  of  the  time's  great  gain. 
Have  taken  off  the  padlock  and  the  chain; 
For  this  still  look,  in  all  the  time  to  be, 
For  youth  aspiring,  and  for  manhood  free." 

One  of  the  first  donations  made  to  the  library  was  the 
gift  of  George  Howland,  Jr.,  who  gave  his  salary  for  two 

27 


years  as  mayor  of  the  city  to  establish  a  fund  which  is 
still  in  existence  as  the  George  Rowland,  Jr.  fund,  "the  in- 
come to  be  devoted  for  the  purchase  of  valuable  works  of 
science  of  a  more  expensive  character  than  we  should  feel 
authorized  to  purchase  by  the  money  appropriated  by  the 
municipal  grovernment. ' ' 

In  1859  the  library  was  made  the  custodian  of  con- 
gressional documents. 

The  building  was  opened  to  the  public  on  Nov.  9,  1857. 
During  a  term  of  years  the  establishment  of  funds  for  book 
purchases  became  quite  a  feature.  The  Charles  W.  Morgan 
fund  was  established  in  1865,  and  the  Sylvia  Ann  Rowland 
fund  of  $50,000  became  available  the  same  year. 

The  most  valuable  gift  of  a  single  book  was  that  by 
James  Arnold,  the  founder  of  the  Arnold  Arboretum,  and 
a  resident  of  New  Bedford,  who  gave  to  the  library  an 
original  folio  edition  of  Audubon's  Birds. 

The  James  B.  Congdon  fund  was  given  to  the  library 
in  1877.  Other  gifts  were  made  by  Oliver  Crocker  in  1878, 
George  0.  Crocker  in  1888,  Charles  L.  Wood  in  1892.  which 
furnished  book  funds  providing  ample  means  for  supplying 
the  library  with  all  the  books  which  its  cramped  quarters 
could  possibly  accommodate. 

In  1904  the  will  of  Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Potter  gave  the  library 
a  bequest  of  $250,000,  "the  income  to  be  used  for  the  pur- 
chase of  books,  pictures,  and  other  articles  suitable  for  the 
equipment  and  maintenance  of  the  library. ' '  This  munificent 
gift  has  enabled  the  library  to  make  large  purchases  of 
books  and  pictures  which  otherwise  would  have  been  beyond 
our  means,  and  to  promise  a  satisfactory  income  for  the 
future. 

Again,  to  show  how  the  management  of  the  library  an- 
ticipated many  of  the  problems  which  confront  present  day 
library  workers,  in  the  26th  annual  report  covering  the 
year  1877,  the  trustees  "are  happy  to  mention  the  interest- 
ing fact  that  a  large  part  of  the  visitors  to  the  library 
consists  of  pupils  from  the  schools  *  *  *  *  the  state- 
ment is  as  creditable  to  the  schools  as  to  the  library;  for 

28 


no  better  evidence  could  be  had  that  the  instruction  given 
by  the  teachers  who  encourage  this  kind  of  intellectual  in- 
quiry is  of  the  most  discriminating  and  improving  quality. ' ' 
Again,  on  the  question  of  the  circulation  of  fiction,  the  con- 
clusion of  the  trustees  of  that  time  is  expressed  as  follows: 

"To  exclude  works  of  fiction  from  the  library,  there- 
fore, would  be  to  curtail  its  positive  advantages.  At  the 
same  time,  we  recognize  the  necessity  of  a  judicious  care  in 
the  supply  of  works  of  this  description,  and  we  have  added 
to  our  list  of  novels  only  those  which  we  believe  to  be 
wholesome  and  useful,  and  which  may  stimulate  to  some- 
thing better  and  higher, 

"The  sensational  element  occupies  a  very  small  space 
in  our  circulation,  yet  even  that  has  it  advantages.  For, 
were  we  to  exclude  it  wholly,  we  should  drive  away  a  class 
of  readers  who  most  need  to  be  brought  within  reach  of  the 
improving  influences  of  the  library.  While  they  find  enough 
of  the  sensational  to  encourage  their  visits,  they  often  fail 
to  obtain  the  books  of  which  they  are  in  search,  and  are  led 
to  take  those  of  a  more  improving  character.  We  are  happy 
to  record  a  marked  ad vau  cement  in  this  connection,  the 
works  of  fiction  now  oftenest  called  for  being  the  best  of 
their  class, ' ' 

As  a  growing  child  finds  that  his  clothes  are  soon  out- 
grown, in  1878  the  trustees  asked  "for  the  use  of  the  whole 
of  the  Library  building,  since  their  quarters  are  becoming 
very  much  croAvded."  It  was  not,  however,  until  1886  that 
the  old  building  was  enlarged  by  an  addition  on  the  north 
which  entirely  changed  the  arrangement  of  the  floor  plan  of 
the  building,  and  added  largely  to  the  stack  capacity. 

In  1884  in  the  32nd  report  a  proposal  was  made  that  the 
city  government  publish  the  records  of  Old  Dartmouth,  but 
this  suggestion  was  not  acted  upon  until  the  present  ample 
funds  of  the  library  have  allowed  the  trustees  to  engage  in 
the  work,  which  is  now  being  carried  oq  as  a  contribution  to 
the  vital  records  of  the  state.  The  whole  expense  of  copying 
these  records  is  borne  by  the  library,  and  the  work  has  been 
carried  on  for  over  a  year  and  is  not  yet  completed,  but 

29 


when  finished  will  be  an  extremely  important  document  in 
the  history  of  this  section. 

On  i\Iarch  3,  1901,  the  library  met  with  a  most  serious 
loss  in  the  death  of  Robert  C.  Ingraham,  who  had  served 
the  library  as  its  chief  librarian  for  nearly  50  years.  No 
more  faithful  servant  of  the  public  ever  held  office.  His  in- 
terests were  centered  in  the  library  he  loved  so  weU,  and 
his  enthusiasm  and  devotion  communicated  itself  to  others 
until  all  who  came  in  contact  with  his  charming  person- 
ality were  imbued  somewhat  with  his  spirit.  He  finished  a 
great  work  to  which  he  had  devoted  his  life,  and  it  is 
deemed  fitting  that  in  this  building  should  be  set  apart  the 
main  reading  room  to  be  called  forever  Ingraham  Hall  in 
memory  of  his  noble  service.  As  the  editor  of  The  Standard 
said  in  his  tribute  to  Mr.  Ingraham.  "By  his  simple  devo- 
tion to  the  one  duty  of  his  long  life  service,  Robert  C. 
Ingraham  has  made  this  community  his  permanent  debtor." 

In  spite  of  the  enlargement  of  the  old  building  in  1886, 
the  need  of  an  entirely  new  building  for  the  library 
■was  deemed  urgent  enough  to  embody  in  the  report  of  the 
trustees  for  1891.  From  that  time  nearly  every  succeeding 
report  emphasized  this  need,  until  in  1906  the  fire  in  the  old 
City  Hall  afforded  the  prospect  of  securing  our  new  building. 
The  fire  which  occurred  in  December,  1906,  proved  to  be  a 
blessing  in  disguise.  If  Mr.  Congdon,  the  historian  of  the 
library  who  wrote  all  the  earlier  reports,  could  have  lived 
to  express  his  sentiments  upon  the  occasion,  he  certainly 
would  have  penned  an  eloquent  description  of  the  Prome- 
thean torch  which  was  brought  from  heaven  to  bring  about 
the  consummation  so  devoutly  wished  for.  Surely  the  result 
has  proved  most  beneficial. 

The  building  plans  were  put  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Nat 
C.  Smith,  the  architect,  who  remodeled  the  old  structure, 
preserving  the  old  lines  and  carrying  out  most  admirably 
the  spirit  of  the  original  builders,  until  the  result  has  given 
us  a  building  more  beautiful  than  the  old,  and  yet  express- 
ing the  same  severe  outlines  in  its  exterior.  To  single  out 
any  individuals  for  credit  in  pushing  the  building  forward 

30 


to  completion  would  be  an  invidious  task,  but  it  certainly  is 
not  out  of  place  to  give  a  great  deal  of  credit  to  the  fore- 
sight and  intense  interest  shown  by  the  mayor,  Charles  S. 
Ashley,  in  helping  to  formulate  and  carry  out  the  plans  of 
the  building  committee.  The  earnestness  and  zeal  with 
which  he  has  forwarded  and  seconded  every  move  has  been 
no  small  feature  in  accomplishing  the  result  which  we  are 
enjoying  today  for  the  first  time.  In  opening  this  building 
for  the  use  of  the  city,  everyone  connected  with  the  library 
feels  with  a  deep  sense  of  responsibility  a  wonderful  quick- 
ening and  a  strong  incentive  for  better  work.  The  material 
is  at  hand;  the  surroundings  are  ample  for  many  years; 
the  library  has  great  resources  for  filling  its  shelves;  it 
is  for  us  who  are  in  charge  so  to  administer  the  trust 
that  the  greatest  benefit  shall  reach  the  greatest  number, 
and  I  feel  that,  with  a  due  sense  of  the  seriousness  of  the 
words,  I  can  thoroughly  pledge  the  co-operation  and  willing 
labors  of  everyone  connected  with  the  library  to  further 
that  purpose.  To  this  end  the  library  from  time  to  time 
must  expand  the  range  of  its  activities,  so  that  the  civilizing 
influence  of  such  an  institution  shall  be  felt  by  every  one  in 
the  city. 


31 


HORACE  G.  WADLIN 

The  city  of  New  Bedford  exemplifies  the  energy  and 
material  progress  of  the  modern  world.  With  a  history  of 
which  it  may  well  be  proud,  and  a  Puritan  ancestry,  whose 
hardy  descendants  braved  the  dangers  of  the  sea  that  light 
might  be  diffused  in  dark  places,  it  has  readily  conformed 
to  changed  conditions  and  the  era  of  machinery,  until  it 
has  become  a  leader  in  the  great  textile  industry,  its  exten- 
sive factories  representing  millions  of  capital  and  giving 
employment  to  thousands  of  operatives.  Its  population, 
slightly  more  than  20,000  when  this  library  became  a  muni- 
cipal institution,  less  than  30,000  even  as  late  as  1880,  is  now 
96,652.  Once  largely  of  Anglo-Saxon  lineage,  it  now  in- 
cludes many  lines  of  descent,  Latin  as  well  as  Anglo-Saxon, 
focussed  here,  and,  under  the  influence  of  the  democratic 
spirit,  here  to  be  woven  into  the  fabric  of  American  life.  It 
is  a  city  composed  of  various  elements  held  together  by  the 
modern  organization  of  industry,  of  which  the  supreme  type 
is  one  of  your  factories,  equipped  to  intensify  human  effort 
by  means  of  the  co-ordinated  operation  of  a  series  of  power- 
ful and  ingenious  steam-driven  machines,  but  it  is  also  a 
<iity  which  may  pause,  even  in  the  busy  hours  of  a  working 
day,  to  contemplate  for  a  moment  what  men  have  done  in 
the  past  to  promote  literature  and  art.  What  does  the 
public  library  mean  to  such  a  city  1 

In  the  first  place,  this  building  and  its  contents  repre- 
sent here  a  triumph  of  democracy.  The  revolution,  under 
law,  slowly  transforming  the  world,  brings  with  it  so  many 
unlovely  things  that  we  are  apt  to  forget  its  triumphs  which 
inspire  us  with  faith  in  the  benefits  that  it  may  ultimately 
confer  upon  humanity.  There  is  nothing  spectacular  about 
Si  public  library,  and  it  seldom  reflects  the  lime  light  thrown 
upon  the  centre  of  the  stage.    In  New  Bedford,  for  example, 

32 


it  is  the  remarkable  industrial  progress  of  the  city  and  the 
increase  of  wealth  here  in  the  aggregate  that  will  be  most 
frequently  referred  to  as  noteworthy.  The  favorite  topic  of 
the  orator  of  the  hour  who  is  pointing  with  pride  to  the  ac- 
complishments of  the  century  in  America  is  this  marvellous 
increase  in  wealth ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  there  are  at  this 
moment  some  hundreds  of  caustic  pens  engaged  in  showing 
how  closely  that  wealth  is  concentrated  in  few  hands.  But 
neither  of  these  things  is  tj'^pical  of  democracy.  The  effort 
of  democracy  is  not  merely  to  enlarge  wealth  in  the  lump, 
and  certainly  not  to  confine  its  ownership  to  the  few,  but 
to  promote  the  growth  of  wealth  in  common,  so  that 
wherever  wealth  exists  its  benefits  must  necessarily  be 
shared  with  all ;  and  of  that  effort  the  public  library — such 
a  building  as  this,  built,  filled  and  supported  from  the  pro- 
ceeds of  voluntary  taxation,  is  a  conspicuous  illustration. 
Not  one  person  who  uses  this  library,  but  has  at  his  com- 
mand— really  owns,  privileges  formerly  restricted  to  a 
limited  class.  And  they  who  administer  such  libraries  are 
really  the  custodians  of  wealth  in  common,  for  the  benefit 
of  all,  that  through  the  use  of  what  is  thus  dedicated  still 
larger  public  benefits  may  come. 

For  centuries  the  theory  prevailed  that  the  domain  of 
letters  exclusively  belonged  to  scholars.  In  the  possession 
of  scholars  only,  rested  the  intellectual  heritage  of  the  past, 
and  to  the  scholar  alone  belonged  the  privilege  of  interpre- 
tation and  the  duty  of  transmission  of  the  collected  wisdom 
of  the  ages.  And  the  opportunities  of  scholarship,  like  the 
field  of  opportunity  in  general,  were  restricted  to  those  who 
by  birth  or  fortune  were  within  the  barriers  which  sur- 
rounded the  aristocracy  of  letters.  The  statues  of  Phidias, 
the  pictures  of  a  da  Vinci  or  of  a  Rafael,  the  sculptured 
glories  of  the  mediaeval  cathedral  belonged  to  all  the  people, 
but  books  were  then,  and  for  many  subsequent  years  re- 
mained the  exclusive  possessions  of  the  few,  and  the  ability 
to  read  books  Avas  confined  largely  to  those  fortunate  per- 
sons who,  by  holding  the  keys  of  knowledge,  became  the 
custodians  of  thought,  alone  entitled  to  express  authorita- 

33 


tive  opinions  upon  the  great  intellectual  problems  affecting 
the  common  welfare.  To  adopt  a  figure  recently  used  by 
Professor  Bliss  Perry,  in  discriminating  authors  who  appeal 
to  the  cultivated  from  those  who  address  the  masses,  they 
who  had  the  use  of  books  were  like  favored  guests  at  a 
select  garden  party,  while  outside  the  gates,  with  no  possible 
chance  of  obtaining  tickets  of  admission,  was  the  great 
multitude  of  the  uninvited. 

But  the  barriers  are  now  thrown  down,  and  he  who  runs 
msiy  read.  This  building,  erected  in  a  city  which  is  imbued 
with  the  modern  spirit  of  invention,  of  machinery,  of  the  or- 
ganization of  labor  under  the  factory  system,  stands  as  an  in- 
stitution which  connects  the  busy,  teeming  life  of  today 
with  the  life  of  the  remote  past.  Its  walls  serve  as  a  back- 
ground for  the  unfolding  panorama  of  the  world's  history, 
and  here  the  men  and  women  of  this  year  of  grace  1910, 
without  distinction  of  class,  may  feel  that  they  have  some- 
what in  common  with  former  generations,  that  the  successes 
and  failures  of  the  past  are  linked  with  theirs,  and  that  the 
words  written  for  spiritual  comfort,  for  practical  guidance, 
or  to  promote  pure  enjoyment,  which  in  the  past  have  been 
committed  to  the  printed  page  are  open  to  them.  Thus,  in- 
sensibly, the  life  of  today  in  this  centre  of  changed  and 
changing  conditions,  may  gain  a  permanence  and  character 
it  can  acquire  in  no  other  way.  It  may  take  on  something 
of  the  beauty  of  the  deeply  rooted  forest  which  draws  its 
sustenance  from  myriad  sources,  constantly  expanding  with 
the  changing  seasons,  its  boughs  uplifted  to  meet  the  dawn, 
but  its  supporting  stems  attached  to  the  anchorage  of  an 
elder  day. 

The  destruction  of  the  barriers  has  brought  responsi- 
bilities as  well  as  privileges.  Questions  affecting  the  wel- 
fare of  humanity  are  no  longer  confined  to  the  discussion  of 
scholars.  They  may  be  considered  by  all  men.  They  be- 
come your  questions  and  mine.  They  are  no  longer  aca- 
demic. They  touch  every  man's  business,  and  the  inter- 
course of  one  with  another  in  the  market,  the  workshop  and 
in  polities.    They  affect  the  relations  of  the  sexes,  the  safe- 

34 


guards  of  the  family,  the  sanctities  of  the  home.  The  per- 
manent prosperity  of  your  city  depends  upon  the  answers 
which  are  finally  given  to  these  questions  not  by  two  or  three 
prominent  citizens,  not  by  the  editors  of  your  daily  papers, 
not  by  the  so-called  educated  class  only,  however  competent 
any  of  these  may  be  to  answer  them,  and  I  certainly  should 
be  the  last  to  question  their  competency ;  but  the  man  in  the 
street,  the  busy  workers  in  your  mills,  the  young  men  and 
women  who  are  to  create  the  New  Bedford  of  tomorrow. 
Not  by  those  who  have  heretofore  held  tickets  to  the  garden 
party,  but  by  the  multitude  outside  the  gates.  I  venture  to 
say  that  answers  are  in  process  of  framing,  some  of  them 
widely  at  variance  with  the  accepted  canons  or  the  conven- 
tional formulas.  Yet  not  one  of  these  questions 
can  be  rightly  answered  apart  from  the  light  thrown  upon 
them  in  books.  The  public  library,  wherever  established, 
means  that  the  garden,  with  its  opportunities  shall  be  open 
to  all.  The  scholar  prized  his  privileges  and  used  them. 
That  the  privileges  are  no  longer  restricted  does  not 
diminish  their  value.  It  is  our  business  to  see  that  our 
wider  opportunities  are  not  disregarded. 

A  library  like  this  therefore  cannot  remain  merely  a 
place  in  which  books  are  deposited  and  preserved,  a  function 
performed  by  many  libraries  in  the  past.  It  must  aid 
in  the  development  of  the  mental  and  moral  fibre  of 
your  citizens.  It  must  provide  for  their  special  needs  as 
residents  in  an  industrial  centre,  promoting  skill,  manual 
and  artistic,  in  your  great  industry;  and  it  must  meet  their 
needs  in  hours  of  relaxation  from  work,  by  giving  them  ac- 
quaintance with  the  books  which  are  not  mere  tools,  but 
deal  with  the  world  of  romance  and  fancy  and  innocent 
pleasure.  It  must  provide  for  young  and  old,  for  women 
as  well  as  men,  and  for  all  the  varied  classes  who  make  up 
your  population.  In  short  it  must  meet  the  widest  possible 
needs  of  a  democracy  in  the  use  of  books,  and  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  intellect. 

This  institution  stands,  therefore,  and,  if  I  mistake  not, 
stands  alone  in  your  city,  as  a  connecting  link  between  the 

35 


old  and  the  new  intellectual  regimes, — the  eras  of  intellec- 
tual aristocracy  and  of  intellectual  democracy,  preserving 
the  best  thought  of  the  past  and  making  it  available  for 
present  use  and  future  need.  For  now,  as  always,  civiliza- 
tion is  largely  dependent  upon  the  collected  wisdom  of  the 
past  recorded  in  books,  and  transmitted  from  one  gen- 
eration to  another.  From  the  vantage  groimd  thus  obtained 
progress  to  higher  levels  becomes  possible ;  and  the  best 
service  a  public  library  can  render  is  in  making  this  wisdom 
available  in  the  promotion  of  a  better  civic  life. 

What  are  the  things  most  needed  in  our  growing  towns 
and  cities,  where  we  are  called  upon  to  assimilate  diverse 
and  conflicting  elements?  Right  conduct,  of  course,  but  un- 
derlying conduct  are  knowledge  and  faith,  and  breadth  of 
view,  and  a  sane  theory  of  life,  and  duty,  and  some  compre- 
hension of  the  world  in  which  we  live,  of  our  place  in  it,  of 
our  relations  to  our  neighbors  and  to  the  community.  Book 
knowledge  alone  will  not  suffice,  but  nevertheless  the  book 
is  a  most  efficient  teacher.  "We  may  depend  upon  it,"  said 
William  Hazlitt,  "that  what  men  delight  to  read  in  books 
they  will  put  in  practice  in  reality." 

I  am  aware  that  there  may  be  a  misuse  of  books,  as  of 
any  other  good  thing.  "A  circulating  library  in  any  com- 
munity," said  Sir  Anthony  Absolute  to  Mrs.  Malaprop,  "is 
as  an  evergreen  tree  of  diabolical  knowledge."  Indis- 
criminate reading  is  as  much  to  be  deplored  as  indiscriminate 
feeding,  and  the  intellectual  inebriate,  whether  his  favorite 
tipple  be  the  latest  thriller  in  fiction,  or  the  numerous 
books  which  offer  panaceas  for  physical  or  social  ills,  is  to 
be  pitied,  and  if  possible  restrained,  as  any  other  victim 
of  intemperance.  You  can,  perhaps,  do  little  with  the  con- 
firmed inebriate,  but  for  those  of  unformed  habits  there  is 
hope. 

The  world's  heroes  today  are  the  men  of  action,  the 
men  who  achieve  something  new  and  important  in  the  field 
of  scientific  or  material  progress,  the  great  scientists,  in- 
ventors, engineers,  constructors,  the  -work  of  these  men  ap- 
peals to  the  imagiucition  now,  as  in  the  past  that  of  the 

36 


great  soldiers  or  adventurers.  The  cloistered  life  seems  an 
anomaly  to  us,  and  those  who  spend  their  days  not  even  in 
teaching  or  in  authorship,  but  in  the  quiet,  unobtrusive 
daily  routine  of  employment  within  a  public  library  attract 
little  attention,  miss  the  plaudits  of  the  crowd,  gain  no  more 
than  a  modest  competence,  and  are  without  much  honor 
save  in  their  own  country,  that  world  of  books  which  is  in- 
habited principally  by  their  colleagues.  But  such  a  life  is 
really  not  less  useful  than  many  which  bulk  more  largely 
in  the  public  view. 

All  our  boasted  material  progress,  the  work  of  the 
heroes  of  industrial  and  scientific  achievement,  is  but  the 
culmination  of  the  intellectual  awakening  that  followed  the 
invention  of  printing  and  the  dissemination  of  knowledge 
by  means  of  the  printed  book.  It  is  by  no  means  accidental 
that  in  Massachusetts,  despite  our  rock-bound  coast  and 
sterile  soil,  wealth  has  accumulated,  and  that  here  all  the 
evidences  of  a  highly  organized  civilization  appear,  with  a 
high  degree  of  prosperity  for  the  common,  average  man. 
The  fruits  of  a  developed  intellect  may  be  seen  in  industrial 
progress,  in  the  applications  of  skill  and  invention,  as  well 
as  in  the  great  poem  or  the  great  picture.  It  is  here  that 
the  public  schools  under  Horace  Mann,  and  the  public  li- 
brary fostered  by  Everett  and  Ticknor  have  made  their  in- 
fluence felt  to  an  extent  far  greater  than  elsewhere  in 
broadening  the  intellectual  life  of  the  common  people,  in  de- 
veloping skill,  in  awakening  intelligence,  in  stimulating 
productive  energy,  and  in  inspiring  the  imagination  and  the 
fancy. 

AVho  shall  set  bounds  to  the  influence  that  this  exten- 
sion of  intellectual  privilege  has  had,  or  will  continue  to 
have,  upon  the  material  and  intellectual  progress  of  a  city 
like  this?  Here,  for  example,  to  take  but  one  possible  case 
out  of  many,  is  a  young  man  without  money  or  influence, 
but  who  possesses  a  spark  of  that  genius  which,  properly 
fostered,  is  the  source  of  power.  In  some  other  age,  per- 
haps, "a  mute  inglorious  Milton,"  but  now,  through  the 
opportunities  for  study  given  by  such  a  public  library  as 

37 


tliis,  he  perfects  an  invention,  or  writes  a  poem,  or  enters 
a  useful  profession,  by  means  of  which  he  ministers  to  the 
comfort  and  enjoyment  of  his  fellowmen. 

May  I,  in  conclusion,  remind  you  of  one  thing  more: 
"This  life  of  the  human  spirit,"  says  a  recent  writer,  "is  a 
process  of  perpetual  becoming.  *  *  *  *  It  is  life  only 
while  it  is  growth  in  life.  And  from  the  point  of  view  of 
the  spirit  the  progress  of  history  is  measured  not  by  the 
spread  of  material  conquests  or  the  accumulation  of  the 
equipment  of  civilization,  but  by  the  progressive  emancipa- 
tion of  the  individual,  and  the  deepening  and  broadening  of 
the  content  of  his  personal  life."  I  know  of  no  more  help- 
ful aid  in  the  broadening  of  one's  life  than  the  acquaintance 
with  books.  It  means  much  for  a  modern  city  which  oc- 
cupies a  commanding  position  in  the  industrial  world  of  to- 
day, that  it  provides  for  the  free  use  of  a  well-equipped 
library;  and  surely  they  perform  no  slight  service  for  their 
fellowmen  who  here  bring  to  the  knowledge  of  good  books 
those  that  without  such  guidance  must  follow  a  blind  lead. 


38 


2        _.  .i«gr 


3         «t 


THE  NEW  LIBRARY 

The  new  Free  Public  Library  of  this  city,  dedicated  to 
its  beneficent  service  today,  and  opened  for  the  discharge 
of  its  functions  tomorrow,  merits  the  attention  of  the 
people  of  other  municipalities,  because  it  is  paid  for  by  the 
people  themselves  and  is  not  the  evidence  of  the  mendicant 
spirit  which,  directly  or  indirectly,  solicits  the  benefactions 
of  a  stranger.  It  exemplifies  in  that  respect  the  sturdy  spirit 
of  those  men  of  earlier  New  Bedford  to  whom  the  edifice  is 
the  most  impressive  visible  monument  now  existent.  They 
stood  on  their  own  feet.  When  they  built  their  town  hall, 
almost  three-quarters  of  a  century  ago,  they  constructed  a 
building  which  in  its  serenely  plain  aspect  of  strength  and 
massiveness,  exactly  typified  what  they  were  themselves, 
and  what  were  their  conceptions  of  civic  responsibility.  To 
those  of  us  to  whom  the  building  has  been  a  familiar  sight 
since  childhood,  it  is  a  source  of  infinite  and  inexpressible 
satisfaction  that  it  is  now  so  magnificently  perpetuated  in  a 
form  which  we  trust  will  endure  for  many  generations  to 
come.  And  we  are  sure  that  every  one  of  those  generations 
will  find  the  greatest  satisfaction  in  the  reflection  that  this 
is  the  library  for  which  the  people  of  New  Bedford  have 
paid  themselves. 

This  newspaper  makes  no  pretensions  to  the  possession 
of  architectural  expertness,  and  therefore  omits  discussion 
of  details.  But  it  may  be  pardoned  for  believing  that  the 
architect  has  solved  most  admirably,  on  the  whole,  the 
rather  difficult  problem  of  extending  and  enlarging  the 
building  in  a  manner  to  preserve  the  spirit  and  the  motive 
of  the  original.  He  had,  indeed,  an  imposing  structure  at 
the  outset.  But  we  feel  certain  that  he  has  made  it  still 
more  imposing.     We  have  all  the  dignity  of  the  old  building 

39 


in  the  new  one,  and  in  some  respects  that  dignity  is  in- 
creased. There  is  a  choice  in  points  of  view,  but  we  think 
one  who  attentively  considers  the  building  from  the  north- 
east corner  of  William  and  Pleasant  streets,  or  from  a  loca- 
tion on  the  east  side  of  Pleasant  street,  directly  opposite 
the  comer  door  of  The  Standard  office,  will  find  that  it  is 
markedly  improved  in  the  matter  of  an  imposing  appear- 
ance. 

As  many  persons  by  this  time  know,  the  interior  retains 
no  resemblance  in  any  respect  to  the  original.  This  part  of 
the  reconstruction  had  to  be  carried  out  with  especial 
reference  to  the  needs  of  library  work  as  library  work  is 
conducted  in  these  days.  Comparing  what  has  been 
accomplished  here  with  what  is  seen  in  some  far  more  pre- 
tentious libraries,  the  verdict  must  be  that  the  result  is  good. 
It  is  eminently  a  library  for  service.  It  is  made  to  use.  It 
is  made  so  that  it  can  be  used  conveniently.  Patrons  will  find 
ample  and  excellent  provision  for  their  needs.  For  an  ar- 
rangement which  shall  fulfill  the  purposes  of  a  library,  scarce 
anything  is  left  to  be  suggested  for  improvement.  Decora- 
tive and  artistic  effects  have  importance,  but,  after  all,  they 
are  subsidiary  and  incidental.  The  main  thing  is  the 
library  itself,  and  provision  for  this  is  entitled  to  the  highest 
praise.  It  is  but  simple  justice  to  credit  the  librarian  with 
having  largely  been  instrumental  in  securing  this  happy 
result.  To  his  study  of  libraries,  and  to  his  suggestions, 
very  much  of  the  working  efficiency  of  the  plan — if  so  it 
may  be  phrased — is  due.  As  for  the  decoration,  it  would 
be  folly  to  pretend  to  admiration  of  every  detail.  Never- 
theless, where  so  much  is  in  admirable  taste,  adverse  criti- 
cism would  in  this  place  be  ungracious.  As  a  whole  the 
effect  is  surely  to  delight  the  eye,  and  to  be  a  source  of 
endless  instruction  in  constructive  beauty. 

But,  all  this  said,  the  building  itself  is  only  the  store- 
house of  an  immeasurable  wealth,  which,  as  never  before,  is 
the  occasion  of  a  great  opportunity  for  the  people  of  New 
Bedford.  Somebody  has  called  the  Free  Public  Library 
"the"  university  of  the  people.        We  think  the  definite 

40 


fm-  Ynm-  Librao 


GROUND      FLOOR 


article  altogether  too  exclusive.  There  are  many  branches 
of  the  university  of  the  people.  This  is  one,  and,  to  be  fair, 
one  of  the  most  important.  It  opens  to  the  people  uncount- 
ed and  uncountable  treasures  of  the  world's  best  thought 
and  wisdom.  It  furnishes  rational  enjoyment.  It  offers 
instruction  in  every  field  of  human  knowledge.  More  than 
all  this,  it  may  be  an  efficient  aid  to  the  building  of  charac- 
ter. May  the  fine  new  library  and  its  noble  collection  serve 
to  increase  in  this  city  the  spirit  of  civic  pride,  the  emotion 
of  a  real  patriotism,  the  realization  of  the  obligations  of 
citizenship,  the  sense  of  brotherhood  in  all  our  people,  the 
growth  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  in  the  hearts  of  men! — 
W.  L.  Sayer,  in  The  Evening  Standard, 


One  great  source  of  satisfaction  and  congratulation  with 
relation  to  the  opening  of  the  Free  Public  Library  lies  in 
the  fact  that  it  does  not  exploit  the  name  of  Carnegie. 
Generations  gone  before  had  been  distinguished  by  their 
regard  for  the  library.  For  many  years  it  had  been  main- 
tained by  private  subscription,  and  when  the  legislature 
made  possible  the  enlargement  of  municipal  activities.  New 
Bedford  was  the  first  to  adopt  the  provisions  of  the  act, 
whereby  the  first  public  library  supported  from  general  tax- 
ation was  established  here.  Later  on  the  city  built  a  library 
building,  which  was  outgrown  in  the  course  of  municipal 
growth,  and  then  came  the  time  when  public  spirit  could 
not  be  aroused  to  the  proper  maintenance  of  the  institution. 
For  a  long  period  the  situation  was  discouraging.  As  the 
collection  grew,  space  was  more  and  more  encroached  upon 
until  the  utility  of  the  library  was  actually  restricted  by  the 
wealth  of  treasures  which  filled  it.  Every  available  foot  of 
space  was  occupied,  and  the  attic  was  crowded  with  valuable 
documents,  until  the  library  became  a  storehouse,  with  a 
few  feet  of  space  at  one  end  for  public  use  and  accommoda- 
tion. 

41 


At  this  stage,  the  suggestion  was  heard  that  the  citizens 
make  application  to  the  philanthropist  who  was  making  a 
specialty  of  library  giving.  It  is  creditable  to  the  people  of 
this  city  that  the  proposition  met  with  meagre  sanction,  but 
no  alternative  appeared  until  the  fortunate  fire  which 
burned  out  the  old  City  ITall,  leaving  standing,  however,  the 
impressive  walls  and  facade  which  gave  the  building  highest 
rank  among  the  great  examples  of  Doric  architecture.  It 
was  then  that  the  Mercury  first  made  the  suggestion  that 
the  building  should  be  remodeled  for  the  use  of  the  library, 
preserving  the  stately  front.  Mayor  Ashley  followed  up 
the  Mercury's  suggestion  with  a  recommendation  in  his 
inaugural  address,  and  the  city  council  made  an  appropria- 
tion for  the  purpose. 

It  is  a  splendid  tribute  to  the  social  esteem  of  the  citi- 
zens of  New  Bedford  that  they  built  the  library  for  them- 
selves without  appeal  to  outsiders.  The  achievement  was 
more  successful  than  the  advocates  of  the  idea  dared  to 
dream.  The  architect,  Nathaniel  C.  Smith,  more  than 
fulfilled  anticipations,  and  the  completed  building  has  lost 
nothing  of  its  exterior  appeal,  while  the  interior  has  a 
character  no  less  delightful.  It  was  observed  by  one  of  the 
visitors  yesterday  that  the  building  lacked  the  institutional 
character  which  is  a  detriment  to  so  many  libraries.  The 
homelike  atmosphere  is  a  striking  characteristic  of  the  inte- 
rior and  every  room  invites  the  visitor  to  tarry.  The  mag- 
nitude of  the  library  was  another  source  of  surprise  to  the 
visitor  who  saw  it  for  the  first  time.  It  seemed  to  be  a 
popular  impression  that  only  the  main  floor  was  for  public 
uses.  When  the  visitors  found  three  floors  given  over  to 
charming  suites  of  rooms,  with  the  general  suggestion  of  a 
large  clubhouse,  and  realized  that  such  opportunities  for 
reading  and  study  were  for  their  perpetual  use,  the  general 
expression  was  one  of  surprise  and  delight. 

It  is  here  revealed  what  a  treasure  house  the  old  library 
was  in  reality.  The  opportunity  for  the  display  of  the 
special  collections  shows  how  rich  is  the  library  in  these 
lines.     The  collection  of  prints  and  art  works,  for  instance, 

42 


rilLL  •  rVDLlC  ■  L1MAR.Y 


MAIN      FLOOR 


fills  almost  all  available  space  in  the  large  room  given  up  to 
it.  There  is  now  access  to  thousands  of  volumes  of  popular 
reading,  while  the  book  stacks  in  the  wing  at  the  rear  will 
hold  300,000  volumes. 

The  public  is  in  great  debt  to  the  discernment  of  Robert 

C.  Ingraham,  the  late  librarian,  who  was  so  persistent  in 
making  the  special  collections  of  local  history,  whaling  liter- 
ature, genealogy,  and  Quakeriana,  which  make  the  library 
distinguished  among  the  great  libraries  of  the  country. 
These  features  of  the  library  are  being  sympathetically  fol- 
lowed out  by  the  present  librarian,  George  H.  Tripp,  and  it 
is  a  source  of  gratification  that  private  bequests,  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Potter  fund  of  a  quarter  of  a  million  to  be 
exclusively  used  in  the  purchase  of  books,  sculpture,  and 
paintings,  being  the  last,  will  enable  the  library  to  con- 
stantly enhance  the  collection.  One  of  the  uses  to  which 
this  income  is  applied  is  the  commission  given  to  Francis 

D.  Millet,  the  artist,  to  paint  a  mural  decoration  illustrative 
of  the  whaling  industry,  and  expenditures  of  this  character 
will  make  it  possible  to  further  adorn  the  beautiful  edifice. 

The  convenience  of  the  location,  by  the  way,  is  no  un- 
important factor,  which  leads  to  more  congratulations  that 
the  library  is  placed  upon  the  square  where  it  stands,  con- 
veniently accessible  to  the  citizens,  instead  of  being 
relegated  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  a  location  for  which  many 
of  the  friends  of  the  library  made,  at  one  time,  a  stout 
contest. 

One  loves  to  dwell  upon  the  influence  which  the  institu- 
tion will  exert  in  the  community.  It  is  destined  to  a  great 
accomplishment,  we  believe,  in  contributing  to  the  pleasure 
and  culture  of  the  people,  the  making  of  better  citizens, 
and  in  raising  civic  esteem. — Z.  W.  Pease,  in  The  Morning 
Mercury. 


43 


SHORT  SKETCH  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  BUILDING 

The  New  Bedford  City  Hall,  the  center  of  the  civic  life 
of  the  town  and  city  for  seventy  years,  was  erected  in 
1838-9.  The  funds  for  its  construction  were  in  part  a  sum 
received  from  the  United  States  government  at  the  distri- 
bution of  surplus  revenue  in  1837,  the  remainder  was 
provided  by  the  city. 

The  architects  were  Russell  Warren  of  Providence  and 
Seth  H.  Ingalls  of  New  Bedford.  The  contractors  and 
builders  were  S.  H.  Ingalls  and  W.  Ingalls.  The  committee 
of  the  Town  Government  in  charge  of  construction  com- 
prised Hon.  James  Howland,  George  Howland,  Jr.,  Hon. 
Joseph  Grinnell,  Zachariah  Hillman,  George  T.  Baker,  and 
James  B.  Congdon. 

The  first  action  on  the  part  of  the  town  was  at  a  meet- 
ing on  April  3,  1837,  when  the  selectmen  were  authorized 
to  purchase  a  lot  on  William  street  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
structing a  new  Market,  and  at  an  adjourned  session  on 
the  17th,  it  was  voted  to  "appropriate  that  part  of  the 
surplus  revenue  which  shall  be  apportioned  to  this  town, 
together  with  the  sum  of  $12,000,  which  is  now  in  the  treas- 
ury and  applicable  to  that  purpose,  to  the  purchase  of  a  lot 
and  the  erection  of  a  Town  Hall  and  Market  House  on 
William  street." 

The  building  was  constructed  of  local  and  Fall  River 
granite,  and  is  100  feet  long  by  61  feet  wide;  three  stories 
high.  At  the  front  of  the  entrance  are  two  massive  fluted 
Doric  columns. 

At  first  all  the  town  and  city  offices  were  housed  on  the 
top  floor,  the  main  floor  being  reserved  for  a  hall,  the  lower 
floor  at  first  being  used  for  a  Market,  later  occupied  by  city 
offices.  In  1872  the  Market  was  removed  from  the  basement 
floor.     In  1854  the  trustees  of  the  Free  Public  Library  de- 

44 


rm     FVDLIC    ilMAKY 


SECOND      FLOOR 


sired  to  occupy  the  lower  floor  for  library  purposes,  but  the 
plan  to  construct  the  present  library  building  obviated  the 
necessity  for  pressing  the  matter. 

During  the  seventy  years  of  its  active  service  as  the 
home  of  the  City  Government  the  building  has  furnished 
useful  and  varied  services,  the  hall  proper  serving  as  a 
forum  for  all  varieties  of  civic  and  political  meetings,  and  a 
convenient  place  for  holding  many  social  gatherings.  The 
fire  which  occurred  on  December  11,  1906,  terminated  the 
history  of  the  building  as  a  City  Hall,  and  almost  immedi- 
ately public  sentiment  manifested  itself  in  favor  of  re- 
modelling the  building  for  use  as  a  Free  Public  Library. — 
From  the  "Commemorative  Exercises"  held  in  City  Hall, 
March  30,  1908. 

In  remodelling  the  building,  care  was  taken  by  the 
architect,  Mr.  Nat.  C.  Smith,  to  preserve  the  features  which 
made  the  old  building  so  imposing.  The  building,  which 
had  been  erected  on  the  monumental  plan  of  the  Doric 
Greek  temple,  was  so  altered  that  there  was  very  little 
deviation  from  the  original  plan,  the  exterior  changes  con- 
sisting of  the  extension  of  the  pavilions,  which  were  left 
undeveloped  by  the  original  designer  of  the  building,  and 
the  addition  of  a  stack  room  at  the  rear. 

In  the  interior,  while  the  window  heights  were  made  the 
same,  the  floor  levels  were  all  changed. 

The  entrances  are  at  the  front  and  at  the  two  front 
corners,  while  the  children  are  provided  with  an  independ- 
ent entrance  giving  easy  access  to  their  room. 

On  the  ground  floor  are  the  Newspaper  Room  and  the 
Children's  Room.  The  walls  of  the  Newspaper  Room  are 
covered  with  the  whaling  prints  which  are  owned  by  the 
library,  and  which  have  been  framed  to  correspond  with  the 
wood  work.  The  other  rooms  in  the  basement  are  the 
janitors'  quarters,  and  the  fan  room,  which  distributes  the 
heat  brought  by  tunnel  from  the  Municipal  Building  across 
the  street.  There  are  work  rooms  also  on  this  floor.  The 
furniture  of  the  first  floor  is  of  oak,  with  floors  of  cork  and 

45 


rubber  tiling,  while  the  corridor  has  a  floor  of  marble 
mosaic.     The  furniture  of  the  other  floors  is  mahogany. 

On  the  next  story,  which  is  the  main  floor,  the  Reference 
Room  and  the  Information  Department,  which  also  contains 
the  magazine  files,  is  on  the  right.  Across  the  hall  is  the 
main  reading  room,  called  Ingraham  Hall.  The  Librarian's 
rooms,  and  the  rooms  for  the  stafi:  are  on  either  side  of  the 
rotunda,  at  the  end  of  which  is  the  main  delivery  desk  in 
front  of  the  stack,  which  contains  five  floors,  -with  a  capacity 
of  260,000  books. 

On  the  Mezzanine  floor  are  the  Accession  and  Catalogu- 
ing rooms,  which  communicate  by  book-lift  with  the  Libra- 
rian's office  and  the  work  room  in  the  basement. 

On  the  third  floor  is  the  Art  Room  on  the  right,  and  the 
Lecture  Room  on  the  left;  four  study  rooms,  a  room  for  the 
Medical  Library,  and  a  room  for  the  books  for  the  blind. 
On  this  floor,  above  the  top  floor  of  the  stack,  is  the  Patent 
Office  Room,  containing  the  collection  of  Patent  Office  Re- 
ports, drawings,  and  specifications;  the  Genealogical  Room, 
which  contains  family  histories  and  the  local  New  England 
histories,  and  a  room  for  the  trustees. 


46 


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